Malchance
by iceieci
Summary: Malchance: noun; misfortune or bad luck. Embry finally meets his match in the most unlikeliest of places and she... Well she isn't sure what to expect anymore. She only knows she has to put one foot in front of the other, and somehow still finds herself falling...hard. Embry/OC. Post-Breaking Dawn.
1. The five steps of grief

**Authors Note: I am still in the process of re-writing as you can see. I did add and change some aspects of the first chapter, and the areas I was already happy with, I left it as is.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I also do not own Twilight.**

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"This has to be a joke…" The voice sputtered in disbelief. "…Right?"

 _Step one: denial_.

The two figures were zipping through the bustling office. The clacking of her heels on the hard linoleum floor as she chased after her boss was lost in the chaos.

"I can assure you that this is not a practical joke. This is real." The man responded tonelessly as they continued towards their destination. His voice was gruff relaying his age, the greys were sprinkled across his curt locks. Gone was his regularly impeccable posture, instead his shoulders drooped from fatigue.

"I mean you guys must be pulling one on me," the voice was becoming frantic. "Is this because of what happened last time? I can fix that, I just need more time but I can fix it."

 _Step two: bargaining_.

"Miss Sanders, that's enough." The man whipped around to face the woman in distress. Steel eyes pierced into wide honey ones. "Look, what happened last time, was unfortunate. The other branch is tackling that problem and it's out of our hands. We don't have time to mull over the past, we have a new problem now. One that takes precedence."

"I… I'm sorry sir. I just can't… I didn't…" her eyes were downcast as the reality started sinking in. It wasn't a cruel joke. This was real.

The grey eyes soften at the sight in front of him. The woman was clearly seconds away from falling apart and his heart clenched. He was her mentor since she stepped through the doors fresh out of Quantico. He could still picture the hopeful eyes that peered up at him behind long lashes, ready to serve in the name of justice.

"Listen." He sighed. "I'm going in there and starting the meeting. Take 5 minutes. Take a walk and get your head in the game. Now I know you think this is unfair, but try and remember the reason you stepped through these doors to begin with."

The woman gulped, the feeling doing nothing to ease the growing pit in her stomach. "Yes, Assistant Director Smith." She wanted to say more, but words wouldn't seem to form. Not when she knew that he was right. "Thank you."

Xavier Smith could only offer her a kind smile before continuing his way towards the conference room. He was a force in her eyes and in her professional life. The one that showed her the ropes through everything that was thrown at her, and the one that took it the hardest when she did fail. He was in an essence akin to a father figure that she had, she knew she couldn't let him down. Not again.

She finally took in her surroundings. The office was in disarray, agents were yelling into their phones, and folders were spewed all over. Something was happening, and it was tearing up the branch. Tearing up the country. The endless pit in her stomach was being swallowed up by guilt now. She could help them, she could do her part and fix this mess that was exploding all around her.

Cursing her luck under her breath, she took deep breath. The air was stale, the smell of coffee and faint cigarettes tickled her nose causing her to childishly huff. Nothing was going right, and to top it off she couldn't even have a breath of clean air to help her through it.

 _Step three: anger_.

With new motivation, albeit not the most constructive of motivations, she walked through the corridor with new vigour. She would not let them down. Pushing open the doors she ignored all the eyes that fell on her, and made her way to the empty chair she knew would be saved for her. A warm hand snaked its way to lightly grasp her arm in solace. She felt herself inflate with more confidence. She wasn't alone, she had friends.

She wasn't alone.

Though the warm feeling was cut short by a voice seated across the large mahogany table. "Glad for you to join us, mcDeli." A snide voice chided, tempting her to roll her eyes at the stupid nickname.

"I apologise for my tardiness, please continue." She nodded towards the Assistant Director, her voice low.

"Glad to have you here Special Agent Sanders." His eyes were kind, a flicker of pride and pity flashed through his eyes. "Everyone turn to the page 4 in your booklets, and we will start off with what the Intelligence branch has acquired for us. Then we will move on to the plan, any questions?"

As everyone turned their attention to their own booklets, she noticed hers had the name: Anna Campbell written boldly.

Anna Campbell. Her new identity.

 _Step four: acceptance._

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'Please let this be a dream. Please, please, please.'

She walked up the short flight of stairs in front of her. Her destination seemed more daunting with each step, almost stood in front of her mockingly poised in its poorly maintained glory. She could feel the trepidation crawl up her spine as she neared the front entrance.

This wasn't her normal scene, no, this went beyond anything she imagined herself doing. The building held no glimmer of elegance or anything of the usual scenery that came natural to her. Instead she was walking into a cold and destitute building, equipped with unflattering fluorescent tube lights overhead, and dying plants lining each corner of the front entrance.

Taking a quick look at her new surroundings she spotted her next target, given the building was small everything seemed relatively easy to maneuver through. At least she had that going for her, granted, she wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or not.

Three strides later she found herself walking into the main office. The glass partition was partially covered by the blinds, allowing a smidge of privacy from the hallway. A quiet humming of a radio echoed from inside of the closed doors behind the front reception desk. The host of the seat was too preoccupied with her phone to notice the new intruder standing in front her.

 _Ahem_.

The receptionist _\- er_ girl held out a finger and continued to rapidly text away into her little device. She was a lot younger than the usual receptionist demographics, but not one to fawn over age, the girl stood patiently until the receptionist was ready. A little over twenty-six seconds later did the receptionist rested her finger and finally look up from her cellphone with an agitated expression.

"Can I help you?"

"Ah, yes. I'm here for my appointment with Principal Henderson?" The intruder politely responded, despite the rude behavior of the receptionist.

"Name?" the girl was now scrolling through an outdated computer situated in the corner of her desk, presumably checking the validity of the statement.

"Anna. It's Anna Campbell."

"Kay." The receptionist picked up the phone on the other corner of her desk and held a button before grumbling into the line. A second later, she grunted into the receiver and looked up towards Anna nodded to the office behind her. The radio was still humming from behind the closed door, where Anna could make out tidbits about the traffic segment was currently in session. Without giving Anna another glance, the receptionist slammed the receiver back into its place and went back to her cellphone and proceeded to ignore her surroundings once again.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Anna walked around the desk and briskly knocked on a plain brown door. The radio abruptly stopped, and a voice coughed out 'enter' a second later.

Opening the door revealed a man in his late fifties sitting behind a large desk. His hair was mostly salt with a dash of pepper, and heavily thinning out towards the crown of his head. He had bushy eyebrows, coupled with an equally full moustache. His blue eyes sparkled as recognition flooded his features as soon as he saw his first appointment push open his door. Without missing a beat, his thin build stood from his seat and walked over quickly. "Welcome to Forks High," he extended his arm towards Anna.

"Thank you," Anna responded to his overly enthusiastic handshake.

"Please, sit." He gestured for her to sit down on a worn out chair next to her, while he closed his office door. Why that was even necessary was a mystery, given the receptionist was too preoccupied with her phone and the front entrance was still stranded since Anna entered the building.

"So, if I'm correct… you're _The_ Anna, correct?" He questioned while walking back to his desk and seating himself on the edge of his chair. His tweed covered elbows were placed on the desk, and he leaned slightly too forward out of curiosity.

Awkwardly clearing her throat she answered. "Yes, that is correct. Am I safe to assume that my boss has already faxed over the necessary paperwork?"

"Yes! Yes, everything's done and accounted for," the principal in front of her excitedly replied. Clearly this whole situation appealed to him greatly. She didn't know the reason, but she particularly didn't care to find out either. "So, you can start right away if you want. _-Or_ any time you would like, I mean, I don't know these things usually work out. I've always thought these things happened in movies only, this is my first time-"

"I'd like to start right away if that's possible," She replied smiling, cutting him off before he could continue with his rambling. "I believe you have all my necessary documents. Correct?"

"Of course! They're right here," reaching into his drawer he pulled out a card and paper. "Here's where you need to go… _and_ here's your student card."

She could feel her heart drop at the abysmal words, but swallowing her pride she forced out a smile and nodded before accepting the documents.

"Would you be needing the school map too? I understand it might not be the biggest building, but we do have lots of-"

"No, thank you. I have already memorised the blueprints of the school, it's best to always be prepared." Anna stood up as she tucked her card into her bag, and held the schedule tightly in her fist. She was eager to get her task down and over with.

The principal mirrored her stance and stood over his desk, eyes beaming with admiration and his hand extended out again.

"It's an honor to have you here Agent Campbell." He smiled proudly. "Or I guess I should be calling you Anna..."

"Anna." she stiffly replied. "In order for this operation to succeed, we require no one to know that we are here. So, Anna Campbell is just fine." The enthusiasm of the old man in front of her made her nervous. Emotions were messy. Covers could be blown as fast as a snap from a slip at any given time.

"Of course. None of the staff know about this, not even my receptionist, and she handles all my e-mails." he chuckled to himself, his moustache spreading out with the magnitude of the smile. "If you do need anything, or need to talk, or anything for that matter, I am always here. No appointment needed."

Giving him a final nod, Anna briskly walked out of the office only slowing down once she reached the corridor. Final bell was approaching, she noted as the hallway was busier than when she first stepped into the building. Holding her schedule up, Anna started to skim through the words to find out her first destination. But before she could make out the words, she was knocked off her feet. Getting grip of the situation, she hurriedly reached out to grab the paper that slipped out of her hand as she fell.

"Students, you need to _watch_ where you guys are going," the voice rang through the loud hallway, before the owner of the said voice reached out in front of her and a grabbed her paper for her. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you there."

Anna looked up at the voice and before she could respond, _time_ froze.

The feeling was widely foreign to her, she could feel her motor functions pause and she couldn't hear or notice her surroundings anymore. Nothing else mattered except for the man in front of her. His stance reflected her shock, he was equally frozen from the counter.

Thick lashes lined his eyes, a slight curl in them. His dark brown eyes were wide from shock, allowing her to see the maze of colors that splashed along his irises. Anna leaned towards him without realizing, both their eyes firmly planted on each other. She caught a whiff of earthy pine as they moved closer. Taking _\- no_ , drinking the sight of the other in, using their eyes to touch the contours of each other's face, memorising each feature, flaw, _everything_.

He was in an essence… _beautiful_. His black hair was cut short and fashionably unkempt. His complexion was naturally tanned, only a dash of pink peeked through his flushed cheeks. His lips were slightly parted, she noted they were perfectly full. His jaws were taut, highlighting the angles of his face as if they were chiselled into perfection by Michelangelo himself. Everything about him sent heat into her, she could feel her heart swell from the feeling.

"Mr. Call. Mr. Call. _Mr. Call!_ " a voice snapped above them, slicing their attention from each other instantaneously. It was only then when she realised how close was to him. Her face was angled up to perfectly compliment his.

They were much too close, and _very much_ in public. Whomever he was, he was certainly not her target and the feeling of losing her control sent a jolt of cold wave through her. Successfully calming her heart, and soaking in her surroundings she faced him.

"Oh, yes. Ahem. Yes, of course." He stood up, holding out her timetable for her to grab. "I believe this is yours, _Miss_..?"

"Anna," she almost stammered out her real name, but quickly managed to catch herself. Reaching out she proceeded to take the papers from his hands. "Anna Campbell."

His face broke out in a smile as she answered, drinking in her voice, and without skipping a beat he looked like he was falling back into their previous trance. But before Anna could respond and cut their interaction short before she lost her resolve again, a flash of panic flashed in his eyes. His expression sobered up as recognition settled in his eyes. "Anna Campbell? As in the new _student_ , Anna Campbell?"

No. Oh no. Anna could feel her heart squeeze at the question, and fighting a heartbreaking sigh, she planted a smile on her face before answering. "Uh yes, that's right. I'm a new student here."

"I see." His expression turning fully somber at her introduction, his previous adoring expression completely out of sight. "I'm your History teacher. It's nice to meet you, I'm Mr. Call." He extended his hand out towards Anna.

The previous trepidation engulfed Anna sevenfold, leaving her throat dry and parched as the weight of the situation left a strange taste in her mouth. The gorgeous man in front of her was her teacher, and worst of all, was under the impression that she was actually a student. She knew she had no business feeling as torn as she was. The feeling only seemed to squeeze her heart in ways she wasn't used to.

 _Step five: depression._

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 **Yes, I know that I switched up step two and three. Other than that, thoughts?**


	2. The knight in shining armor

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight._

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 **Authors note: I'm open to any suggestions. Enjoy!**

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Embry's eyes were fixated on the beauty in front of him. The weight of the situation seemed to vanish once again as he drank in the sight of her wavy sun-kissed locks and mesmerising eyes. Her lips were slightly parted before a timid tongue peeped out to swipe over her bottom lip. He couldn't believ-

"Mr. Call!" The background voice kept calling over and over again. "Mr. Call!" However, much to the chagrin of the owner, the recipient was too focused on the sight in front of him. Again.

Now, Anna has seen attractive men throughout her life. Hell her own partner was quite easy on the eyes, though she'd never let that slip. Lest his ego grow bigger than it already was. But the fact of the matter is, Anna was not some child who swooned easily over a charming smile. But here she was, completely dazzled by a simple high school teacher. To her, the fine specimen of a man was simply… scintillating.

Of course, it didn't help that he fit the ever cliché bill of being tall, dark and handsome. With his devil may care messy hair, and the deep dimple on his right cheek, coupled the brightest of smiles, where the left corner of his mouth lifted more than the right. Everything about the man in front of her took her breath away. That was the only way to explain their interaction.

"Mr. Call?"

"Andrew," Embry calmly replied, his eyes still fixated on Anna. "Yes. What were we talking about again?"

"The extension on the history essay? So I can focus on practice for the game this Friday?" The kid presumably named Andrew looked a little annoyed he had to vie for attention. His build and the fact that he was adorned in a varsity jacket, radiated the stereotypical jock persona.

Luckily there was a little thing called 'reality check.' And boy did it exist. Because not before long, the shrill of the final bell echoed through the corridor, successfully snapping Anna from her stupor. Unfortunately, a rather hurried student frantic to get to class accidentally mauled over her. The force of the impact caused her to skid forward crashing on her knees and hands.

Right on Mr. Call's feet.

"Are you okay?" Embry sputtered out. Though he was in shock, he was quick to waste no time and was already on his knees checking for injuries. His hands were automatically ghosting over her face and body, his face exhibiting a simmering panic. All she could think about was the warmth that radiated from his gentle touches and how her skin thawed instantly from the contact. "Anna?"

'Kill me now,' Anna thought miserably.

"Uhh…" She cleared her throat, trying to find the words after having the wind knocked out of her. Pangs of sharp pain jolted up from her knees, causing her to hiss instead. Slowly small trickles of blood seeped through her jeans in uneven splotches.

The next second her posture had completely changed and gravity was no longer keeping her tethered to the ground. Strong arms were holding her up and whisking her away. And before she knew it, the warmth clouded her logic again.

"Wait, what's going on?" She asked, her voice far away as she looked around in confusion.

"Oh my god, she has a concussion too!" A panicked voice seemed to yell from behind Mr. Call. It's only then Anna noticed the noises that surrounded them once again. The previous bustle seemed to halt once she fell, but now it resumed like a hum in the background.

"Mr. Call."

"No, she doesn't David. She didn't hit her head," Embry calmly stated, his jaws were taunt, emphasizing the angles even more. At her lingering stare, his features soften as he glanced down at her. "Are you okay? You took quite a fall."

"Mr. Call? About that deadline?"

"I…" She trailed off still in a daze. Were teachers even allowed to physically touch the student in these times? Questions started to fire through her, mostly revolving on how she managed to royally fuck up what could arguably be the easiest job, within five minutes of starting it.

"I'm so sorry! New kid? Can you hear me? I didn't see you, you're just so tiny!" The panicked voice caught Anna's attention, as she peered over Embry's broad shoulders. She saw it was a large male, following them. The boy's face was stricken in pure panic, his brown eyes were wide, his lips slightly trembling. He strangely reminded her of Mr. Call, from afar they would look identical.

"Mr. Call? About the essay?" The boy that Mr. Call was originally walking with questioned. It was only then Anna took notice he too was following them, his face was still annoyed.

"Andrew, we'll talk later. I'm afraid I have to attend to this injured student here. If I were you though, I'd get a head start on it," Embry spared him a brief glance before turning the corridor. The student huffed and with a roll of his eyes, he briskly turned around and walked the other direction.

It was like all she regained all her senses at once. Gobsmacked students were lining the edges of the hallway, just watching the two of them like a hawk. "I'm okay actually. It's just a skinned knee, I can walk."

Embry looked down at her in uncertainty, "Are you sure?"

"Umm, yeah." Anna timidly looked up at Embry's concerned expression. "Scouts honor." She offered as afterthought, a polite smile to ease the tension.

Instead of fighting her wishes as much as Embry wanted, he simply nodded and lowered her till her feet made contact with the ground. He didn't let go until he was sure that she had full balance.

"So umm, where's the nurses office?" Anna asked, with a blush at the attention still coming from all angles of the corridor.

"Uhh." This time Embry seemed to be stumped. He slowly chuckled in embarrassment, a hand rising to scratch the back of his neck nonchalantly.

"What?" Anna looked around now confused. The students seemed to be whispering amongst themselves. She couldn't be sure if this was better or their silence was better.

"We don't have a nurse…" The student from behind Mr. Call answered her. "Well she comes in like once a week or two, when the budget allows it."

"Oh…" Anna's eyebrows furrowed in further confusion. "Then where were you taking me?" She blurted out.

Embry's cheeks flushed red, he knew he was caught. It seemed the student that clashed into her had caught on to whatever he was planning as well, because he coughed.

"Well, the hospital is only like a block or two away…" the kid offered though the whole situation seemed even more ridiculous the more she thought about it.

"I'm fine," Anna reiterated. She scanned the crowd once more, before cursing herself for the mess she seemed to be in. She was supposed to lay low. "Can someone just tell me where I can go to get a Band-Aid?"

Embry cleared his throat, "Yeah, Thatch will show you the way. _Right_ Thatcher?" He gave a pointed stare to the kid.

Instead of replying Anna heard the kid gulp as he viciously nodded. He seemed to try and shy away from the teacher, his eyes were everywhere but looking at the two of them.

"Alright what's going on here?"

Thankfully that's all that was needed to disperse the student body right away. Anna recognized Principal Henderson right away. His moustache was levelled, his eyes scanning around in confusion at the commotion that was taking place.

"Nothing, I was just leaving for class and Thatcher here was taking Anna to your office for a Band-Aid." Embry smiled and gave a little wave before turning and hurrying off.

"I trust that she'll be in great hands then Mr. Littlesea?" Principal Henderson, seemed to be back on his little smiling ways. Anna had a strange feeling she knew why. "I would take her myself, but I'm afraid I have an _important_ meeting right now." His eyes were boring into Anna's, his moustache quivering in the need to smile.

She only offered him an awkward polite smile until he was satisfied that everything was going smoothly. She only truly felt as ease when he turned and walked the other direction. Practically skipping away, towards what Anna believed to be out the front entrance.

"Hey so… I know I'm supposed to take you to the office, but I really can't be late for Math right now. Mr. Cobblestone is going to kill me," the _kid-_ Thatcher said. "Would you be able to make your way by yourself?"

Before she could even reply, he was already walking away backwards. "It's just down the hall to your left, you can't miss it." He was pointing to the adjacent hallway to her left. "Also can we keep this between ourselves? And not tell _Em-Mr. Call_? Thanks! I owe you one." And with that he was running down the hall.

"Wow, you went from three guys following you to none."

At the new voice, she whirled around to see a lonesome student leaning against of the one the lockers. The hallway was completely desolate now.

"Who are you?" She just went through the most unnecessary event in all of her career, and now some kid was trying to ruffle her feathers.

"Your knight in shining armor." He smirked, his eyes were the color of honey, just gleaming in mischief. Anna couldn't help but feel like she was back in ninth grade and babysitting the hellion of a child for her neighbor, Mrs. Hernandez. She used to call the boy Denis, a nickname for his close resemblance to Denis the menace, though she'd never tell Mrs. Hernandez that. That lady was wonderful, and so hardworking, it was truly a wonder how she ended up birthing the total opposite of herself.

"Just point me towards-" glancing down at her forgotten and now crumpled schedule, "- Biology with Mr. Banner."

The student raised a single brow at her demand, "you don't want a Band-Aid for your _injury_?" His smirk was back full force, the amusement dancing behind his eyes.

Anna only rolled her eyes, "it's a skinned knee not a broken leg. I think I'll survive."

"Well you're in luck then. I was just headed that way myself," he pushed himself off the lockers nodded towards her, beckoning her to follow his lead.

"Knight in shining armor?" Anna didn't bother disguising her scoff. "Does this knight have a name?"

"Cody, and yours?"

At his question she raised a brow, subtly mocking him. "Are you really telling me that you don't know the new kids name?"

"Fine. You're right." Cody seemed to be unaffected by being caught in his lie. "It's hard to not know the name of the student who fell for Mr. Call."

" _What?_ " The color drained from her face.

'This cannot be happening.'

Cody was too busy snickering to himself, loving how miserable she seemed to look with every ticking second. "Oh yeah, and judging by those pants everyone's going to see just how _hard_ you _fell_ for him."

She threw her hands over her face trying to get the ridiculous notion out of her mind. How she was supposed to do her job in secret with everyone staring at her, she had no idea. She remembered why she hated high school now. Though her pity party was cut short when Cody made his announcement.

"We're here."

Looking up she noted that they were right by the back exit of the school. Away from the watchful eyes of the teachers, and a quick and easy slip into the parking lot of the school. She had memorised the school's layout to know that this was the perfect way to leave the school undetected.

"You really are a knight in shining armor." A slow but grateful smile broke out on her face.

"I aim to please." He jutted out his elbow for her to grab, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Where are we going?" The outside air was crisp. The cool breeze made her break out in goosebumps, and they were only in September.

"You'll see."

As much as she wanted to go back into the school and finish her job, she knew she couldn't. Not with just meeting the biggest distraction she had ever experienced. But maybe, just maybe she could find another approach.

"So what do kids do here for fun?"

"Where do you think I'm taking you?" Cody gave her a side glance.

" _Perfect_." Maybe he could give her everything she needed, without her needing to be in the school. And then she could leave.

But for some reason, her heart gave a little lurch at the thought.

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Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And thank you to those who stuck by the story into this new journey. Also quick question, is anyone else getting weird sex bots messaging them in their inboxes too? Till next chapter!


	3. The way it has to be

I don't own Twilight.

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"…Miss Anna?"

A voice trailed off. "Earth to Anna?"

The voice was strangely confused.

A sharp nudge to the ribcage broke Anna out of her daydream jolting her alert. Swallowing the wince she straightened up only to notice everyone in the class staring at her.

Including Mr. Call.

"Yes?" She cursed herself for allowing her mind to wander off.

"What did you think about the reading?" Mr. Call's eyes were tense, his mouth faintly forming the beginning of a frown while his eyes shifted between her and Cody.

"It was…"

It was humiliating. She could feel the eyes on her, and Anna was sure her face was turning a nice shade of pink from the heat. She wasn't a teacher pet by any means but the thought of disappointing him didn't sit well with her. Fortunately, Cody must have taken pity on her. His textbook was laid open to the chapter she guessed Mr. Call had assigned.

"I felt it was…lacking."

That caught Mr. Call's attention. His eyes flashed towards her, twinkling in curiosity. "How so?" The ghost of an amused smirk lined the edges of his lips.

"Well, for starters it's no secret that history was written by the winners." At the nod, she quickly licked her lips before continuing. "Whose to say this narrative of history is the only story? What about the other parties involved? What are the true recounts of the past if we only have one part of it?"

She ignored the few scoffs scattered among the classroom. Her eyes were trained on Mr. Call as he walked back towards his desk. His face displayed his amusement.

"Interesting stance Anna. Unfortunately, not going to help for the exam requirements, but definitely it's something to think about." The bell rung, the sound leaving the students scrambling to grab their belongings. "On that note," His voice rose a decibel. "Next week we will be learning a bit about of my own tribe's history. So, no reading for homework. Enjoy the rest of the day."

The kids were already done packing their bags and ready to dash out, only the females lingered paying close attention to his words. Anna shoved her books into her bag before joining Cody by the door before she heard her name being called out.

"Yes?"

"Could you stay back for a minute or two?" Mr. Call's eyes were peering into her own, but not before flashing towards Cody's direction in suspicion.

Anna wanted to groan. She didn't trust herself being alone with him. Something about him unnerved her, like he could read her like the back of his hand. She had yet to figure out if it was a good thing or not.

"Uh yeah. Cody?" She looked over at her companion who stood frozen by the door, his eyes lingering between hers and Mr. Call.

"Yeah I'll meet you after then." He simply nodded at Anna before swinging his bag over his shoulder and walking towards his next class.

In the two weeks Anna had integrated herself into the school, she found her new job the most draining mission she ever had to date. Though Cody's friendship offered a small reprieve apart from her partner on the mission. The high school experience never suited her well in the past and reliving it now without the proper teenage angst to go along with it… it was now simply torture.

"You seem a bit distracted lately…" Embry looked into Anna's eyes. He could see her distant gaze even though she stood a mere five foot from him. Once her eyes snapped alert, he continued. "Is everything alright?" At home? Problems with friends?"

Anna wanted to cry and laugh simultaneously.

Was she really getting the concerned teacher deal right now? She allowed herself to melt into Embry's eyes, revelling in the depth of the chocolate swirls. They seemed to entice her in, something about them spread warmth and comfort throughout her.

"You know as a teacher we can't help but hear somethings." His voice was calm and comforting. "I know some of the boys haven't given you the warmest welcome."

"Yeah, everything is fine." She responded with a tight smile. She knew rumours about Andrew's behavior towards her would reach the staff soon enough but she ignored it. In the grand scheme of things this was miniscule. A minor set back that they couldn't afford to humour. "I don't know who started those rumours but I assure you everything is fine."

He didn't respond, just simply kept watching her. She could see the disbelief in his eyes and debated if she should make up a problem. But something deep down told her he'd see right through it. "Yeah, it's just different here. New York was so much… bigger and that somehow felt not as over-whelming. You know?"

"I can't say I do." His lips stretched into a comforting albeit a bit sheepish grin. "Been in Washington my whole life… for the most part anyway."

But he seemed to buy her excuse for now. "Well if you need to talk or anything, you know where to find- "

"Embry?" A feminine voice interrupted. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were with someone."

Both heads turned to see a woman with one foot in the door.

She was tall, shorter than Embry but taller than Anna. Her whole stature was…feminine. She was a mild beauty if Anna had to describe her. But everything about her screamed delicate. Her soft features matched her face. Her brown eyes were carefully lined with mascara, her lips were coated with a touch of lip gloss. Her caramel painted hair was blown out perfectly. Her attire was more business chic than school appropriate, but her curves peaked through effortlessly.

"Emma." Embry blinked, as he found his voice. "Oh, I almost forgot. Sorry. I was just catching up a student."

Anna wanted to curse at the universe for the title she was given. Student. But she couldn't even react before the woman, who had made her way well into the classroom and was now standing a bit too close to Embry started talking to her.

"Hello, you must be the new student. Right?" Her brown eyes were looking at her curiously. "Oh, my apologies. I'm Miss Scott," she extended out a hand.

Not wanting to appear rude, Anna stretched out her own hand to shake. "Hi, yeah. I'm the new student, I'm Anna." She forced a smile on her face, but something in Miss Scott's face indicated she was skeptical of her. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yes, likewise." She smiled, but her eyes were still scanning over Anna's face.

"Well, I should get going. Was that all, Mr. Call?" Anna asked her eyes never leaving Miss Scott.

Something about that lady didn't sit well with her.

"No that was all," Embry sputtered. "I'll see you next week then. Have a great weekend Anna." She spared a glance at him before turning to walk out the door. But not before hearing about their lunch plans, and something dropped in the pit of her stomach.

Of course, he'd have someone in his life already, and she was only a student in his eyes. She wanted to scream or cry. Anything to let out the festering boiling pot of emotions that seemed to be bubbling up inside her. Until a thought crossed her mind. She froze.

Why.

Why did it even matter? Why was she so affected by this? Overthinking these hypothetical scenarios?

Without wasting a second, she turned on her heels and walked. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

"What was that all about?"

Oh right, she forgot about Cody.

"Nothing, he was just checking to see if anyone was giving me trouble and all that jazz."

"Isn't that usually the job of the principal?" Cody raised a blonde brow.

"I wouldn't know to be honest." Anna tried to ignore how inquisitive Cody usually was. She was thankful for his guidance and help. But there were times where it seemed as if the boy knew more. "Let's grab ice cream today. I need some sugar."

"Sugar?" a smirk found its way on Cody's lips. "Oh baby, all you had to do was just ask."

"Shut it." She shot back. He was back to his regular flirty self. "We'll take your car, my brother dropped me off this morning."

"Why? What happened to your car?"

"My brake pads need fixing, after the rain attack all last week. I've been pushing it's limits." She opened the passenger side with ease and slid in. She was still getting used to riding in the larger vehicles that seemed to be popular around these parts. She missed her little Tesla sitting in the dark underground parking of her apartment suite.

"That's why you need to get a four-wheel drive." He slapped his steering wheel as if to prove a point. "These babies can handle anything." A proud smile engraved into his face.

She flashed him a disbelieving smile, a slight tinge of disgust lining her expression. "I'm never going to buy a truck."

"Your lover boy drives a truck."

That made her choke on her spit. "What?" She sputtered.

"Mr. Call?" Cody was already driving out of the parking lot and had his eyes focused on the gravelly road.

"Mr. Call?" She knew her voice was uncharacteristically higher than normal. "What are you talking about?" She squeaked.

"Oh, come on." He flicked on his turn signal. Anna noticed there wasn't a car in sight, but the boy still followed all road regulations to the core. Something akin to hope swelled inside of Anna.

She was so used to mouthy kids. It was a nice change to meet one that didn't feel the rush of adrenaline whenever they broke the law. Though, she knew it was pushing it to consider Cody anything near a saint. That boy certainly had his own set of troubles and mischief. If seeing him around the principal's office everyday was any indication that he didn't love trouble as much as the next kid, she didn't know what is.

"…come on what?" Anna mirrored. She turned her body to face Cody, eager to know what the hell he was on about.

"There has to be something going on," he scoffed. "Listen if you're into older dudes, that's cool but be ware you know? Mr. Call has a nasty little fan club. You already caught the wrath of the Thatcher club." He shrugged as if they were just discussing the most normal conversation in the world.

"What are you talking about?" She emphasized each word slowly as her mind tried to wrap around the idea. "Something going on?"

"Yeah." He huffed out a breathless laugh. "Don't tell me you don't see it."

"See what? Exactly?" Her voice was slowly edging a slight hysteria.

"He totally has the hots for you."

The simple sentence felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped on to Anna. The very notion that the kind teacher was into her seemed more foreign than Mars.

Anna laughed. Her unbridled amusement shone through her eyes as she laughed harder than she had since she accepted her mission.

"You're kidding right?"

Cody didn't seem to reciprocate her humour. He instead shifted his truck into park and turned to face her. It was only then she realized they were already in the parking lot of the small ice cream parlour near their school.

His face was serious, and his eyes narrowed. "You're telling me you don't see it?"

"See what?" She hesitantly asked. She didn't like that he was insinuating. "What are you talking about?"

"He stares at you constantly. I've been in the school long enough to know how he usually acts around students but he's different with you." His voice was softer, she had to strain her senses to hear each word. "Whenever you walk into the room, all his attention automatically goes to you. You can't tell me you haven't noticed that."

"I…" she paused. Was that really the case? How had she not noticed this earlier? "…I…"

She had no words to voice her thoughts, emotions, anything. She didn't even know what to think. She was all in all, speechless.

"If you lick your lips or curl your hair behind your ear, his eyes like snap towards you. It's… kinda creepy." Cody played with his hands. His own eyes were narrowed in thought.

"Almost as creepy as you watching us this hard," she smirked as his eyes widened at the jaded remark.

Before he could open his mouth to object, she interrupted him. "I'm sure it's nothing, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll keep an eye out."

Cody huffed in annoyance and then tipped his head to signal to her to get out, as he swiftly opened his own door. They walked towards the parlour as a few students exited the petit shop. The weather wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either, but she knew going to the diner at this time would be swarming with cops on break and she didn't want to run into any law enforcements just yet. They were under the radar for this one. Until the profiles were all clear, no one was to know about them.

As they sat into their little booth with their scoops her phone buzzed. It was about time.

Luckily, Cody got up to wash the chocolate he dripped onto his chin. She took the opportunity to slip her phone out of her pocket and open the text.

 _'Yeah. I have time, just send me the names.'_

She swiped her lithe fingers over the virtual keyboard. _'Ms. Scott from Forks High. No other info known.'_

 _'Okay, cool. Anyone else?'_

She stared at the quick response.

The door to the restroom swung open. Cody was flicking the rest of the moisture out of his hands as he maneuvered his way towards their little booth.

Something clicked in her head as she watched him edge closer to their table. _'And Embry Call, teacher Forks High. Lived in Washington his whole life.'_

"What'd I miss?" Cody mused as he dug into his slowly melting ice cream. Judging by his expression, he didn't seem to mind the slightly melted texture.

"Nothing much. Some girl named Jessica bitching about a Bell or something." She nonchalantly shrugged.

"Bell?" His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Oh, Bella? You said Jessica, right?"

At her nod, he snorted. "Yeah, she's been a right joy ever since that Bella chick moved into this town and married Fork's most eligible bachelor."

"You seem to know every gossip there is know about this town," Anna cocked her head to the side in wonder. "Didn't you say you moved here not that long ago?"

He didn't seem bothered by the accusation as he continued attacking his larger bowl which was starting to look emptier by the second. "My mom's a nurse at the hospital. She knows all the hot gossip and you wouldn't believe the amount of gossip she stumbles upon everyday." He stated unperturbed, as if talking about the weather. "Plus, she's a good friend of the head surgeon, Dr. Cullen. She knows the gossips are only just that, gossip. None of it's true."

"I see," she pondered.

Her phone buzzed again. With a swipe she opened the text quickly.

 _'I'll text you when I have something.'_

She debated if she should respond but decided against it and shoved the device back into her pocket again.

"Everything all right?" Cody peered over at her.

"Yeah," She beamed at him. He nodded and dropped his bowl and plastic spoon on the table. "My brother was wondering what to make for dinner." The lie slipped effortlessly through her lips.

"You gonna finish that?" he gestured towards her half-touched bowl and she shook her head with a smile. He looked absolutely ecstatic as she pushed it towards him.

He really did remind her of someone. She smiled fondly before vanquishing the memory. Now was no time to go down memory lane.

They fell into easy conversation again. Flitting between homework and up coming test, basic high school monotonous discussions.

"Have you figured out who you're going to take to the semi-formal?" He didn't look at her, but his teasing expression said it all.

"I'm not going," She deadpanned. If there was one thing she could avoid, was the recreational dances the high school was throwing. She wasn't getting paid enough for that whole mess of a situation.

"Oh, come on," he sniggered as he swallowed his spoonful of rocky mountain. "Everyone's talking about it." He pushed.

"I'd rather stay in and binge on pizza," she rejected. He'd have to drag her cold dead body to the musky smelling gym that was currently being decorated for the dance.

"Hey, isn't that Mr. Call and Ms. Scott?"

Two teens next to them whispered loudly, catching both hers and Cody's attention. They followed the pointed fingers and saw the two teachers, hand in hand walking out of the diner across the street from them.

They were far closer and more intimate than they were in his classroom. Anna's heart seemed to squeeze almost uncomfortably at the sight.

Ms. Scott was laughing, and her face shone with unrestrained joy. Embry's face held a content smile as they walked towards what Anna saw was his truck. They looked carefree and happy.

The scene seemed to only make Anna aware of how cold it really was in Forks. How dreary the sky was with not a glimpse of the sun peeking through.

"Well that's a relief," Cody commented. His attention was back to the new bowl in his grasp. "And here I thought he was a pervert or something macking on younger girls."

"What?" Anna's eyes shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, with all the attention he'd been pouring over you lately. I thought for sure he was going to turn out to be some pedo or something." She was glad he wasn't paying her any mind or else he would have seen she didn't emulate his relief. "I'm glad though, Ms. Scott had been head-over-heels over him for some time now. I'm happy for them."

"Yeah," She forced a smile on her lips and nodded.

The dissonance between the cheerful words that fell off her lips and the ice cold she felt coursing through her body was blind to the world around her.

For the first time since entering the school, she sincerely hoped she finished her mission as fast as she could.

"I'm happy for them too."

* * *

"What's this I hear?"

"Nessie, don't you have something better to do?" Embry didn't have time for this.

"Hey, be nice." An old kick ball was hurtling towards his face. He easily grabbed it before throwing it back towards the direction it came from.

"What did I say about violence?" She chided, looking over at the two men. "Embry as I was saying, you're dating now?"

Embry didn't respond and instead shrugged a lone shoulder as he caught the kick ball again.

"Just leave him be Nessie. I'm sure he has his reasons," the man eased.

"Jake, he found his soulmate." She looked over at the man with disappointed eyes. "Imagine how this all going to go down afterwards?"

Jacob only whistled in defeat. "They're adults. I'm sure they'll work something out."

Renesmee only tutted impatiently. Looking over at the man in question, he didn't seem to look at confident as his best friend. His eyes were downcast as his hands fiddled with the worn-out ball in his grip.

Embry was usually very confident in his choices. But Renesmee was right. He had found his soul mate. And now he was only complicating things more by starting up a relationship with another.

Yet his soul mate was the very thing he couldn't exactly get closer to. Not with how things were. She was still a minor and he was her teacher. This was the way it had to be.

"Hey, are you gonna throw it back or what?" Jacob nagged.

Embry rolled his eyes in annoyance and whipped the ball towards his childhood friend. The overgrown man only laughed loudly at the force of the throw.

Yes, this was the way it has to be.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the update. Don't forget to drop a review :)


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